At least two deaths have been reported after a powerful magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck western Mexico early Thursday morning.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake struck at about 1:16 a.m. Central time. The epicenter was in Michoacan, about 170 miles from Mexico City. The earthquake caused buildings to sway and a few landslides in the town near the Pacific coastline.
Law enforcement in Mexico City said after the activation of the Mexican Seismic Alert System, a woman lost her life after hitting her head when falling from the stairs of her home in the Doctores neighborhood. Alcaldía Coyoacán officers also learned of a man who died of a heart attack in the community of Educación.
The shaking was felt in Michoacán, Colima, Jalisco, Guerrero and Mexico City, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador shared on social media.
The earthquake comes days after a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck off the western coast of Mexico on Monday afternoon, killing at least two other people. The strong earthquake was centered about 25 miles southeast of La Placita de Morelos, hitting just after 1 p.m. Central.
Mexico City had planned an earthquake drill early Monday afternoon to mark the anniversary of two deadly earthquakes, according to local reports. In 1985, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake killed at least 9,500 people, and in 2017, more than 260 people died from a magnitude 7.1 earthquake.
Monday’s quake occurred less than an hour after the drill was scheduled.